New Jersey drivers with vehicles that have airbag inflators manufactured by Takata Corp. might be included in the air bag inflator recall if they have not been already. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation put together a report that shows the company had quality control problems at its North American plants and manipulated tests to hide problems.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has asked why the company has been permitted to keep making inflators using ammonium nitrate. He expressed concern that the replacement inflators may be as dangerous as the ones they are replacing. More than 100 injuries and 10 deaths have been attributed to the faulty inflators. When they erupt, they spray people with shrapnel. The explosions are caused by humidity and a lack of desiccant to absorb moisture. Furthermore, the inflators are not designed in a way that effectively repels moisture.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said that the inflators are not safe for more than a few years, and the explosions all occurred in inflators that were more than seven years old. The agency has also said that Takata needed to establish the long-term safety of the inflators or that they would all need to be recalled.
People rely on manufacturers to keep the products they use safe, and when a product like a part in an automobile injures a person, the victim may want to consult an attorney. If the person decides to file a products liability lawsuit, the company may attempt to settle out of court. If the settlement is not acceptable and the case goes to court, one thing that will be looked at is whether the company was aware of the danger.